The Love of My Bully

And Drake had to keep in line. All of his anger over the past ten-plus years made a lot of sense to her now. She wasn’t going to make excuses for his behavior, but it did make sense. No one could blame him for acting out.

Compared to him, she probably had the most ideal life between the two of them.

“What are you doing right now?” he asked.

“I’m in my room.” She paused as she heard someone coming. “I’ve got to go. Someone’s coming. I’ll call you back.”

She ended the call, pocketing her cell phone as her dad opened her bedroom door. Behind him was Sean.

Her best friend offered her a smile. She couldn’t bring herself to smile back.

“I heard you talking. Give me your phone,” her father said.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I know who you were talking to. Give it to me.” He growled the words at her and she felt sick to her stomach.

Pulling out the cell phone, she handed it to her father. He placed it in his pocket.

“When will I get that back?”

“When you finally learn your lesson. We’ve told you to ignore that boy, and look what happened. Sean, talk some sense into her.”

“Wait a minute. Why are you talking about this in front of Sean?” she asked, looking from her dad to her best friend.

Sean stepped into the bedroom. “I think we should talk.”

“I don’t know if I want to talk to you.” There was no way Sean could have known. She and Drake were so freaking careful.

“You should be thanking Sean for not letting you screw up your life, or our family’s. He’s a good kid.”

Her dad had left the tray of food on the bed but Pru wasn’t interested in eating. She was more focused on the guy in front of her.

“You’re the one who told?”

Sean sighed. “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t want to.”

“Wait, you’re admitting you ruined my birthday by telling my and Drake’s parents we were seeing each other? How did you even know? What right do you have to go telling people’s secrets like that?”

“You were making a mistake.”

“What? By your standards?” she asked. “You don’t think I’m good enough for Drake?”

“Not good enough?” Sean burst out laughing. “Oh, please. I know you’re good enough for Drake. You’re too good for him. He had no right to you. Never had a right to you. You’re better than him and his fucked-up family.”

Pru pulled away from him, not really recognizing the boy before her.

“This is … you did this? You really knew? How?”

“Out of everything I just said to you, this is what you’re picking up on?”

“How can I not pick up on this? You’re my best friend and rather than ask me, you assumed and just … how could you do this? Why didn’t you come to me?” she asked.

“And have you lie to me, like you’ve been lying every time you’ve been with him. You and Drake, you were so full of each other you didn’t even realize you were being watched. He’s not worth your time. I did you a favor.”

She laughed. “You think you’ve done me a favor? My family hates me. I had to take all of his parents’ insults. I’m not a slut. I love Drake and he loves me.”

“He’s using you.”

“You’re wrong, Sean. If he was using me, we wouldn’t have ever been caught and he would’ve made sure my humiliation was complete.” She shook her head. “You’re wrong about him. I was wrong about him.”

Sean stepped closer and she pulled back, wrapping her arms around her waist and wanting nothing to do with him. She didn’t want him anywhere near her.

“You can’t be serious right now. Do you even remember what he did to you? Not his friends, him. Drake, he can’t be trusted.”

She lifted her head, staring at her best friend. “You’ve always been my best friend. Stood by me. Why didn’t you come to me? Why did you have to go behind my back?”

Sean lowered his hands and released a sigh. “You weren’t thinking straight.”

“And you thought you could think for me, is that it?”

“Pru.”

“No!” She turned and glared at him. “I don’t want to hear you speak. I don’t want to hear you say anything. I’m done listening to you.”

“Pru, don’t do this,” Sean said.

“Do what, Sean? Don’t listen to you? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Any idea at all? Do you even care?”

“Of course I care.”

She snorted. “You could have fooled me. You told my parents. You told Drake’s parents rather than come to me. Do you see the way they’re treating me now? Like I’m some kind of troubled kid.”

“Aren’t you?” Sean asked.

“What?” She couldn’t believe she was hearing this from him.

Sean picked up one of her fries from off her plate and shoved it into his mouth. “I don’t mean to be a pain in the ass and state the obvious, but come on, Pru. You’ve been secretly dating Drake. Surely that has to come from some lapse in judgment. I’m sorry, but you’re seriously troubled.”